03 August, 2012

Lughnasa flowers for Annie

Annie's postcardNimmt sich kein Blatt vor den Mund
- that would be both of us!

It’s a strange feeling to hold in my hand a postcard handwritten by a virtual friend. Makes me realise that on Annie’s side of our virtual reality, she is as living and breathing, as I am on my side. But then Annie knows I'm weird!

Annie's postcard with Chinese winter-flowering jasmine

What is that glimpse of red? – the Japanese flowering quince is in full stride. Yesterday I saw our neighbour harvesting her vaseful.

When I woke this morning everything was blanketed in thick grey cloud draped over the treetops. The mountains were cancelled. By mid-morning we have sky so blue and quince so red-pink that they both look synthetic.

Ludwig’s opened their Winelands branch just when I was planning Paradise and Roses.

We, that is he, took out the dead plum tree. Replaced it with a South African camphor bush Tarchonanthus camphoratus to echo the first one in Winter Chill. The tree claimed its blood tribute. The newly planted bed is Indian Summer. Mixing together plants from the red, pink, yellow and white beds - an invitation to explore Paradise and Roses.

Indian Summer

Since I deliberately planted Paradise and Roses, heavy pruning has reminded me what I was aiming for. I want to sit at Inspire and feel the four beds cradling me like cupped hands, with the view sweeping away, across our garden and the fields to the mountain.

Paradise and Roses looking east, west
north, south

Paradise and Roses

From China, Japan and Taiwan to always something new out of Africa, via a Taiwanese postage stamp of Solanum americanum. (American nightshade, this native is found in plains and hills. It has white or lavender flowers. Its round berries are green at first and turn shiny dark purple when they mature. The fruit is edible)

I've love those nice cooler temps. You're planning stage there is my pruning stage here:) Lots to cut back as everything is overgrown:)

I love how you have all your flower beds set up. They make nice borders along the walkway. I love that creacher(spelling comes from a book I'm reading now) known as Chocolat:) I'd love to have this sweet confection around while I'm gardening:)

I hope with your transplanted roses it becomes the garden that you envision in your dreams. It's already inspiring - love the shape. And your quince is blooming! That must mean spring is right around the corner for you - and autumn for us!

Diana, no shivering here, it's hot, and getting hotter each day. Mid summer madness and all that. I have learned to read between the lines, when reading your blog. The names for all of the gardens used to stump me, lol, but bit by bit I am figuring them out. Gorgeous postcard, wonderful quince.

I like that cupped feeling too. I was clearing dead stuff in the chaparral area where I don't often go - for fear of disturbing birds nesting - and found some very nice "cuppy" nooks to sit in for a while and just soak in being there. I'm thinking of adding a Peace rose, to remind me of my grandfather's garden. Your gardens are lovely! We are now having a weird windy, cloudy, and even a little rainy, morning. It makes me uneasy, because the weather is so strange... Like you we usually get foggy mornings that burn off to sun all day. Your vivid picture of blue and pink is quite literally stunning!

Diana - what a wonderful concept, to be 'cupped' by your landscaping. Lovely tour of your gardens. Out of curiosity, how cold is your winter? (Seeing Chocolat snuggled in the sunshine was good indication.)

Your gardens are looking lovely showing off their bones and when those roses bloom they will be heaven. Looking forward to Indian Summer both in your garden and here in mine. I need some relief from this oppressive summer. Oh well no gardening today...too hot at 6 am. I will be posting my choice a bit later on the 22nd.

I discovered Postcrossing.com last year. Its a website where you register on and it throws out random people and their addresses all over the world. You then send them a postcard with a handwritten message on. Your name then pops up with somebody who will then in turn send you a postcard. Its an awesome concept and I have loved receiving cards from all over the world.

Diana, I find those "musical chairs" plant moving sessions can be very satisfying. Your "Indian Summer" flower bed sounds delightful. I found that image of the flowering quince against the clear blue sky just breathtaking. -Jean

Oh how nice it is to finish work in the garden before the rains come, but we are now deep into the phenomenal 10d continuous rains flooding most of Metro Manila and suburbs. While most people are deep in water trouble, i am thinking about the pruning that still needs to be done. I envy you for those works well done already. And how sweet of Annie to send you that...and how 'weird' also is your cat for producing nice portraits, haha!

Your quince is lovely and looks so much like my ancient, unnamed ones that bloomed of months here this year. I always enjoy long views over your garden; I especially like the one of Indian Summer and the one with the mountain in the distance. Good luck with your new roses!

hi diana, i enjoyed the poetic language in this post - cradled as with cupped hands, sky so blue and quince so red-pink they both look synthetic, etc. Hope you successfully completely musical chairs without getting addicted.

nearly every blog I read recently the blogger is taking a break there must be something is the air not that I do as much blog reading when I can spend more time in the garden while we have light and dry, enjoy your break Diana, I've clicked through from Paulines blog, your comment to David that Paulines name is clickable, it is on her blog but not when she leaves a comment on mine and David's blog, she uses a different log in when she comments on our blogs 'paulinemulligan' and isn't clickable, take a look at her comments on mine and Davids blogs and you will see, it seems strange to me that her comments on her own blog have a live link when we are already on her blog but there is no link when she comments on my and some other blogs, Frances